As the search for a mesothelioma cure continues, new innovations in biology, medicine and technology are showing promise. Sigma Life Sciences is one company adding their expertise to the fight against mesothelioma and other fatal cancers. Their goal to “offer researchers cellular models of cancer that are expected to enhance development of drugs for personalized medicine,” brings Sigma Life Sciences into an important role in mesothelioma research.
Sigma Life Sciences produces and supplies products for all areas of scientific study and research. From animal models to genetically modified cell lines, Sigma Life Sciences provides ready-to-use and custom solutions for scientific testing purposes. Their new line of genetically modified cancer cells is of particular interest to mesothelioma researchers.
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer affecting about thee thousand Americans each year. It is caused by asbestos, a chemical the World Health Organization has labeled as a Type 1 Carcinogen. Asbestos use has been greatly minimized in many countries but is still heavily used in developing lands for building and manufacturing. The number of global mesothelioma cases is estimated at ninety thousand and expected to be on the rise.
Once asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can begin a cancerous development in the lining of lungs and other abdominal cavities. Irregularly patterned tumors grow for decades without showing signs or symptoms. Many mesothelioma patients have no idea they are ill until twenty to fifty years after original asbestos exposure. Although there are mesothelioma treatments available, there is no known cure. Patient life expectancy averages eighteen months following a mesothelioma diagnosis.
Using their own tool, CompoZr, Sigma Life Sciences aids in development of personalized medicines through “target validation, identification of mechanistic actions of drugs and investigation of disease development, progression and remission.” CompoZr has allowed Sigma Life Sciences to produce “knockout” models. This process used for lab rats won them the silver star medal for “Top Ten Innovations of 2010” from The Scientist magazine.
The term “knockout” refers to a process in which a gene cell of a specimen is rendered inoperative and removed, or “knocked out,” to be compared to the cells of normal specimens. Edward Weinstein, director of Sigma Life Sciences’ testing facility, SAGE Labs, says knockout technologies will “provide scientists with powerful new tools to study human diseases.”
Sigma Life Sciences will lead its new line with genetically modified cell models of colorectal and lung cancer.
